


Proportionality

by Stregatrek



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Data and Geordi are huge saps, Deanna's a good friend, First Kiss, M/M, Nerds in Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-30
Updated: 2017-06-30
Packaged: 2018-11-21 14:35:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11359458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stregatrek/pseuds/Stregatrek
Summary: Data gets and applies some very good advice from his friend Counselor Troi





	Proportionality

"Hello, Counselor."  


"Hello, Data," Troi smiled. "Come in."  


"Thank you." They sat together and Troi folded her hands on her knee, waiting for him to speak. "I have asked to see you today because I believe you are the person best suited to assist me in a decision."  


"All right," Deanna smiled encouragingly. "Tell me about the situation,"  


"I find myself attempting to express my romantic attraction to Commander LaForge."  


Deanna sat back in her chair, looking curious for a moment before smiling again, more neutrally. "Well, Data, that's certainly... a big step,"  


"Yes," Data acknowledged. "However, I find my actions within the current parameters of our relationship to be falling short of the scope of my..." he cast about for a suitable word, but had to settle on "emotions."  


"Have you talked to Geordi?"  


"I assume you mean talked to Geordi about my attraction to him. The answer is no, I have not. I wish to find the appropriate gesture to convey my thoughts."  


"The thing about romantic gestures, Data," counselor Troi said gently, "is that you have to mean them. There has to be something behind them, or they're hollow."  


"Yes, Counselor: I realize that I do not have emotions in the traditional sense of the word, however I have come to the conclusion that I experience something for Geordi which I do not experience for anyone else."  


"And do you think those... experiences... are romantic in nature?"  


Data cocked his head. "Yes, judging from the extent of my research on the topic of romantic love, I believe that is what I am experiencing. I also believe that Geordi understands the nature of my inner workings and will accept or reject my advances based on his evaluation of the nature of my... feelings, as well as his own."  


Deanna smiled, reaching for Data's hand. "Oh, Data... good luck. It sounds like a lot of thought has gone into this. I don't see what advice I can give you- I think you're right that Geordi knows you. What I might say is this; be proportional. Don't just find something in the data banks you think he would like. Express the extent of your emotion with a proportional gesture. Make sure you mean it."  


"I believe I understand, Counselor." 

He stood. "Thank you for your time."  


"Tell me how it goes," she said, smiling.  


"I will," he answered as he left.  


Data hoped he would be capable of conveying his sentiments toward Geordi by means of typical human gestures. It seemed the most logical approach- utilizing traditions familiar to Geordi to express Data's esteem. This would have the advantage of providing a metric for Geordi; if Data could find a proportional expression of sentiment, Geordi would know exactly how he... felt.  
* 

"Hello, Geordi. Thank you for coming," Data said solemnly, but not without infusing his voice with a modicum of excitement.  


"Sure, Data," Geordi smiled, looking around Data's quarters, taking in the candlelight and the well-set table. "This looks... nice,"  


"Thank you. I am attempting to conform to Human norms for posing this question."  


Geordi smiled again, brilliantly. "Well, if you're doing what I think you're doing, you're doing great so far. Feel like pulling out my chair?"  


Data recognized the inflections of a joke, but quirked his head and stepped around the table to do so. "I did observe allusions to this practice in the literature available."  


Geordi sat down, and Data smiled before turning to the replicator and removing their dinner. Well, Geordi's dinner and his internal lubricant. It was perhaps not an appealing dish to observe, but it was the closest analogue to traditional food Data required, and he had observed that Geordi did not have the same discomfited reaction to reminders that Data was not human as many of the crew did. Data appreciated this trait more than many others Geordi possessed, though he found multiple facets of Geordi's personality to be attractive and all of them to be intriguing.  


"This looks wonderful, Data, thank you," Geordi said, and then paused as though he were waiting for something. Data understood that it was typical to enjoy the meal before engaging in romantic declarations, and therefore sat across from his friend and began a conversation. Geordi smiled, laughed, and behaved in a more tactile manner than usual, his feet brushing Data's beneath the table and his hands more than once coming into contact with Data's in a way the android did not believe to be accidental. These behaviors encouraged him, and when Geordi had completed his meal and moved his dish aside, leaning forward over the table, Data was unsurprised to hear the question, "So, Data, are you ready to ask me... what you want to ask me?"  


Data nodded, and rose. He cleared the dishes from the table in one quick motion and pitched his voice lower than usual, emulating the tone described as 'intimate.' "Geordi, we have been friends for quite some time. You have been the most kind, fascinating, and engaging individual I have encountered, and the courtesy and compassion you treat me with leads me to believe that you have a similar opinion of me."  


Geordi smiled, and Data could see that a blush had risen on his human friend's cheeks. "I do, Data, I'm glad you know that."  


Data inclined his head, appreciating the interruption. "It is these emotions and opinions of one another which I have recently discussed with Counselor Troi, who has encouraged me to express them proportionally to my experience of them. Therefore," he said, stepping closer to Geordi and lowering himself to one knee, smoothly withdrawing a simple ring from his pocket. "I would like to ask you if you would consent to do me the honor of accepting my hand in marriage."  


Geordi laughed. "I- Data-"  


"Is something wrong?" Data quirked his head.  


Geordi reached out and laid a hand on the side of Data's face, gently caressing the shape of the artificial cheekbone. "No, Data, not at all. It's just that-" he laughed again. "Well, usually, two people date before they get hitched."  


"I see." Data frowns. "Then I was premature in expressing my desire to marry you."  


Geordi shook his head, smiling. "You always have to be an overachiever, don't you?"  


"I simply assumed that expressing the extent of my emotions would be the most efficient and be-"  


"Data, wait." Geordi stopped the hand holding the ring, which had begun to move back toward the pocket it had been drawn from. "I didn't say no. I just said this was unexpected. Why don't we try our hands at a relationship, first, and you can ask me again once we see how that goes,"  


Data cocked his head, considering. "I believe that is an acceptable approach. I apologize for the... surprise."  


"Don't worry about it, Data; I like your surprises." Geordi bent to brush his thumbs across Data's face. "Do you mind if I kiss you now? I've kind of wanted to since... oh, probably about since the first time you tried to make a joke," he smiled, thinking about it, and Data smiled back.  


"I believe I would find that a most gratifying experience." Data answered, and angled his face so that his lips would meet Geordi's without causing Geordi's neck to be positioned uncomfortably or his VISOR to impact Data's face. Then, they were kissing, and it took more of Data's processing capacity than he had expected to devote so that he could record and experience the kiss. He found it... rewarding.  


"Data?" Geordi's voice alerted him to the fact that the kiss had ended and he was merely experiencing a sensory echo. He opened his eyes. "Was that okay?" Geordi asked.   


"I found it extremely... enjoyable."  


Geordi chuckled. "Me too, Data."  


"Do you think... we could do it again?"  


"Sure, Data." Data could feel Geordi's smile as their lips met. He wondered how much of his memory core he would devote to the experience of kissing Geordi. He found that he would be willing to delete other recollections in order to store more information about the experience.  



End file.
